For the first time in the HISTORY of Classic Elite!!!

Classic Elite Yarns is, for the first time EVER, making current season patterns available for digital download online! With the explosion of digital resources available to crafters (blogs, websites, YouTube, and the now-indispensable Ravelry...), we are used to information at our fingertips. Traditionally, our current season patterns have only been available to those who have booklets in hand, but you have asked for instant access and we are delivering!

Have you heard of Patternfish? It's a third party website that sells patterns to knitters and crocheters around the world to buy and download! Patternfish takes no advertising, has no editorial voice, and is fully invested in their mission to digitize and make available all the patterns they possibly can, even including print patterns from predigital days...

These are not the first Classic Elite patterns on Patternfish... Many of our older patterns, most of which are now out of print, have been digitized and are available for purchase. A search for Classic Elite as the publisher yields almost 500 patterns, sortable by gauge, size, knit style, category or difficulty level. You can even specify "No Seaming"! You'll find designs from Kristin Nicholas, Norah Gaughan, Annie Modesitt, Margery Winter, and our very own Susan Mills, now creative director of Classic Elite! You'll even see a few shots of a young, stunning Uma Thurman, 17 year old knit model...

Six of our Fall 2010 patterns are now available on Patternfish for download, which means you can keep them forever and ever and ever (spoken like a true product of the digital age...)

The format of the downloadable patterns is our new and improved layout, featured in the blog just a few days ago. You'll see bigger text, bigger charts and schematics, wider columns and more pictures. Visit the e-Patterns page on our website to download one today, and don't forget to browse our classic patterns at Patternfish!

No, we sell crochet patterns too, and you can select ONLY crochet designs if you want. Also, most of our title descriptions indicate if the pattern is crochet. Some patterns combine knitting and crochet, and are categorized both ways. So have some fun, and experiment!

And may I also say how thrilled and excited we are to be part of this project? Classic Elite's pattern catalogue-- from the early 80's right to the present moment-- is one of the world's most precious and extensive. We're so pleased to be able to make it available to knitters (and crocheters!) worldwide.

I love the idea of being able to call up patterns from the 80's and using the beautiful yarns from today to make them- its a completely modern way to update all the cool vintage looks. Can't wait to check them out!